The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) of 2007-2008, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in June 2010, claimed that around 34.2% of US adults aged 20 years and over are overweight, while 33.8% are obese, and 5.7% are extremely obese. Surgery is becoming increasingly popular due to the increasing awareness about the risks associated with obesity, and the cost-effectiveness of bariatric surgery as a preventative move, saving patients from diseases associated with obesity for the duration of their lives.

The rapidly rising cases of bariatric surgery among adolescents mean that the market is only set to reach greater heights. Despite the debate surrounding the safety and long-term efficacy of bariatric surgery in adolescents, a study published in The American Surgeon during November 2011 claimed that the mean number of adolescent bariatric procedures performed per year in the US increased from 61.8 during 2002-2006 to 113.3 during 2007-2009.

European countries are seeing a decline in the number of gastric banding procedures being conducted, while in the US such surgeries are on the rise. Gastric banding procedures began to take off in America around a decade later than in Europe, and therefore benefited from a wealth of surgical experience, and modern and efficient devices. US surgeons therefore had a better first experience with the surgery, which had over time become less invasive, less risky, and demanded a shorter hospital stay.

More information can be found in the report “Bariatric Surgery Devices - Global Pipeline Analysis, Competitive Landscape and Market Forecasts to 2018” by GlobalData.